


Distorted Shadows: Royal

by roxasthatsastick



Category: Kingdom Hearts, Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Study, Crossover, Gen, Kingdom Hearts III - Re Mind DLC Spoilers, Verum Rex (Kingdom Hearts)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-11-06
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:33:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23779948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roxasthatsastick/pseuds/roxasthatsastick
Summary: Between dreams and reality, death and life...  Sora falls from Shibuya tower into another world.Akira and friends find a boy who looks suspiciously like a video game character who won't wake up.
Comments: 73
Kudos: 165





	1. Chapter 1

8/26

Mementos - Afternoon

Futaba stared out the window of the Mona-Mobile. "Y'know, Mementos is a lot more boring than I expected." It's true that its super creepy with the vein-like rail things, and that shimmer to the shadows that made it seem as if something was there... but also, it was the exact same tunnel, over and over again. Nothing ever really changed except the creepiness level went up every few floors. 

There were also the shadows, but she couldn't count those. Futaba guessed they were super over leveled for this area or cheating, 'cause they all died instantly. A lot of them were just straight up ran over. Even if they survived, one or two hits and boom! Distraction over.

Ryuji groaned. "Oi, don't say that! Now any second that huge ass shadows gonna come and kill us!"

"Sorry Skull, but we have at least ten minutes before that guy shows up. We literally just got to this floor." She grinned. "Maybe we'll find something else though, like mmm, maybe some treasure? There's some interesting readings a couple corridors away!"

Yusuke hummed. "I wonder..."

"What?"

"Do you think that believing the Reaper will appear soon will make it emerge faster? This is a cognitive world, perhaps--"

Ann cut him off. "Nuh uh, no way, we are not continuing that train of thought! Sorry, but I'd rather not get hurt that badly today."

Makoto sighed. "A- anyways, getting off that subject. You said there was treasure?"

"Yeah," Futaba checked over her scans, and nodded. "Just take that next right and it should be pretty close."

"Alright, thank you." She took the turn smoothly, running over a few tracks in the process.

Morgana grumbled a bit as they turned. "Can't you avoid those a bit better, they really do hu--"

Whatever he was saying was lost as Makoto slammed on the brakes. Futaba clutched onto the seat in front of her for dear life, until the shaking stopped. "What the heck, Queen! What happened to safety first!?"

Even from the back seat, ears ringing, Futaba could hear Makoto swallow whatever she was about to say. "There. There's someone in the tunnel. It’s not that kid either, uh."

Everyone sat forward (as much as could at least) at that. Futaba blinked at what she saw. 

In front of the Monabus was a boy that was maybe around their age, maybe closer to hers. He was… glitchy was the best way to describe it. A crystalline texture kept scrolling across him like a poorly done animation, and something about seemed unreal, unnatural.

That, of course, wasn’t even getting into his physical appearance. Futaba couldn’t help but stare at his outfit and brown spiky hair.

Beside her, Ann made a confused noise. “That’s, weird. His outfit _almost_ looks like something out of Harajuku other than the shoes and gloves. And, well, everything really.”

Ryuji scoffed. “And the hair, right? How much hair gel would it take to get spikes like _that_.”

Queen, of course, was all business now. “Oracle, is he a shadow? Or something else?

Futaba barely heard her. Ninety-nine percent of her was just struck with one thought. “Holy? Shit?? Do, do you guys realize who he looks like?” 

Ryuji opened his mouth, but she ignored him. “No, of course you don’t. He looks the protag of _Verum Rex_!!”

Ryuji blinked. “Verum Rocks...?”

“Verum Rex!! It's the latest game from Squenex, it comes out in just a couple months! I've already played the demo, and…” As she spoke, Futaba had gotten out of the Mona Mobile and a little closer to the lookalike.

She eyed his jacket carefully. “Well, I guess he’s not a total match, but _definitely_ inspired. An OC? Bit early for that.”

Joker walked up to the boy, inspecting him carefully. “A cosplayer then...?”

Beside him, Makoto gave her a Glance. Right, focus time. Futaba began poking around on Necronomicon’s screens, but what she was getting from the cosplayer didn’t help much. He didn’t match any of the readings she has on record. “I think he might be a normal-ish human? It’s not very clear, gimme a few.”

“Right, let’s assume he’s human then.” Makoto strode up to the teen. “He hasn’t responded or reacted to us this whole time, he might need first aid. We should also find an ID.”

Ann perked up. “Right! Hecate, Diarama!”

Everyone other than Futaba herself watched as the spell rolled over him. Nothing else happened. Ann frowned. “Maybe needs some coffee…?”

Yusuke shook his head. “He is unconscious. He would likely choke instead.”

Ryuji grinned. “Not unless we did mouth to mouth!”

“Panther...doing mouth to mouth…?” Morgana sounded shaken, but Futaba ignored the byplay. Its not like any of that was going to happen anyway.

Futaba tried a few more types of scans, to mixed results. A health scan only came up blank, which seemed fake. She tried another just analyzing his physical appearance, which told her that RPG boy didn’t have any visible injuries. They could’ve figured that out on their own, thanks Necronomicon.

“I, I never said she’d do it!!” Ryuji yelled back. “You’re the one projecting that on her!”  
  
Akira stepped forward dramatically. His coat swooshed around him. “I’ll do it.”

“No!”

SP scans had a bit more luck; cosplay boy had a full tank at 155. Which, yeah, Futaba probably ought to head off any attempts to force feed him SP items. “He’s got a full tank of magic, don’t bother!” 

Hm. What other scans could she try out… Maybe she could cross reference everyone’s personas to removing them from their signals to try and get a plain human signal? Or maybe...

Makoto sighed. “Anyways. He seems to be breathing normally at least.” Her hand shifts to his wrist where it lingers for a minute. Makoto’s face got stiffer and stiffer, before she sighed. “Heartbeats’ normal, just very soft. Looks like he _is_ alive.”

Ann frowned. “Then why didn’t my healing work?”

“Maybe he really is dead, and only has a heartbeat because we think he should have one?” Yusuke mused, obviously missing how everyone hated the concept.

“ _Next_ up is eye dilation.” Makoto reached over and forced one of his eyelids open. The majority of the thieves gasped over it. 

“It’s so blue!”

Yusuke gasped, clutching his chest. “What a pure blue! It is like the vast oceans or boundless skies! Paint in that hue would be perfect!”  
  
Akira leaned in closer as well. “It looks like Morgana’s eyes almost.” 

“This a relative, Mona?” Ryuji joked.

“Of course not!” Morgana paused and blinked in thought. “...but if he was, that would prove I’m a human, right?”

“Uh…I don’t think that’s how that works.”

Meanwhile, Joker, a true thief, had gotten going with checking the cosplayer’s pockets. He finds, in order, a pile of keychains, some mysterious bottles that look like fantasy potions, a stack of miniature journals, a weird looking cell phone that’s both out of battery and in the Metaverse making it useless, and… an ID. 

(Futaba made a note to try and get into the phone later.)

Akira held the ID up in front of his eyes, squinting. “‘Radiant Garden Restoration Committee’, honorary member… Sora.”

_Radiant Garden? What is that, a garden club? A town? What._

“At… At least we have a name now?” Ann said.

Futaba gave the card a suspicious look. “Are we sure that’s his real name??”

“Why else would he have a card with that on it though?” Ryuji asked. “I get that its weird he only has a first name but--”

“But Sora? Really!?” Futaba repeated. She knew she was being a little too loud, but she couldn’t believe this. 

“I see nothing wrong with that name. A sky, blue as his eyes… a poetic namesake.” Yusuke said.

“That’s not the point!” Futaba yelled. “The point _is_ , is that Verum Rex character he looks like? His name is Yozora!!”

Everyone paused, obviously absorbing this terrible knowledge. As a result, the sound of chains grew louder in the silence.

“Oh shit!”

Morgana jumped away from where the group was and henshin-ed into his Monabus form. “Hurry on!”  
  
“Got it!”

As the closest to ‘Sora’, Joker and Makoto picked him up. From what Futaba saw as she got into the bus herself, the boy was practically thrown into the Mona Mobile. _Rip cosplayer._

(Hopefully) quickly enough, the thief squad was in, and they were _out of there_.

Makoto could drive pretty safely, or, like right now, could drive like a demon. Considering that they were being chased by the next worst thing, Futaba didn't care much.

* * *

Things hadn't gotten any easier, even after getting away from the Reaper. They had in fact, gotten away fine. No injuries, no new traumas.

That said, ‘Sora’ had less of a crystalline look to him, but otherwise didn’t change at all. Including consciousness level. So now the group had dead weight in a full train station.

Futaba, naive as she was, would’ve thought that would be the most inconvenient part, but no. Cosplay boy was invisible in the real world. None of the passerby could see him one bit.

Makoto, despite the fact she was steadfast in front of the Reaper, got tense now of all times. Niijima stared at the boy on her shoulder blankly. “Is he… a ghost…?”

“There’s no way!” said the literal talking cat.

Akira ignored them and just shifted Sora on his shoulder. “Let’s hurry to LeBlanc.”

“Oh! Try putting your bag in the hand your supporting Sora with!” Ann pointed out to Makoto. “It’ll look less suspicious that way!”

“R- right…”

Ryuji sidled up to Makoto. “Do you want me to take over..?”

“It, it’s fine!” Niijima’s face firmed up. “Let’s just hurry onto the subway.”

“‘Aight then…”  
  


* * *

Everyone stared at Sora, dead asleep on the couch in the attic.

Ryuji, always first to say what no one else wants (or needs) said, broke the silence. “So, _now_ what do we do?”

“Well, he’s not waking up. Maybe a doctor?” Ann threw out.

Yusuke raised an eyebrow. “No one can see him.” 

Futaba laughed. “And do you think the Metaverse cosplayer has papers? Come on. He’s stupid suspicious.”

Everyone sighed in unison. 

“Yeah, that’s out.” Ryuji sat back in his chair. “Uh, maybe we could find out where he came from…?”

“What do think I was doing on the subway?” Futaba gestured wildly at her laptop. “I’ve searched all over the internet, and _I_ can’t find a trace of him. It’s only been a half hour, and I’ve mostly been checking missing person cases, but honestly? Look at this guy.”

They did. He seemed strangely foreign, like he was in a slightly different art style than everything else. It was less obvious back in mementos, but now it was impossible to miss.

"I... think I can see what you mean. You should probably keep looking for information though." Makoto said.

“Yeah, yeah. Feel like I might have better luck searching video game companies though…” she muttered.

“Well, if we can’t bring him to a doctor, what else can we do?” Ann asked.

“Phantom thief him awake?” Everyone stared over at Ryuji. “I mean! What else we got?” he sputtered.

Akira leaned forward. “When all you have is a hammer…”

Makoto nodded reluctantly. “You’re not wrong I suppose. Can we use the Metaverse to wake him up though? There's no proof that he’s asleep due to mental reasons, and all we have is a first name.”

Morgana got up on top of the sofa next to Sora. “I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t work! So long as that’s how he views himself, it doesn’t matter if there’s a last name to go along with it.”

Ryuji already had his phone out, prodding it. “Then uh… Sora at Leblanc’s attic--”

_‘Coordinates accepted.’_

”Huh.”

A pause. Ryuji sighed and sat back. “Every time I think this thing can’t get weirder…”

“I’d complain about you doubting me, but I didn’t expect it to work that easily either. Does he just not have a last name?” Morgana poked the spiky teen with one paw. “I haven’t met anyone without a last name before…”

“Shouldn’t you know, cat? _You_ don’t have a last name.” Ryuji retorted.

“I’m not a cat!!” Morgana trailed off. “And… I might have a last name… I just… don’t remember it.”

Akira reached over and gave Morgana a soft pat. “We’ll find out.”

Morgana gave him a look and nodded. Then turned away. “But first, this guy. We know he has a Palace now, at least.”

“But what’s his distortion? I mean, obviously he’s out from whatever it is.” Futaba clicked through a couple more missing person pages on her laptop before sitting forward to stare at Sora.

“Well, one could say he’s trapped in his mind. A prison perhaps?” Yusuke asked.

_‘No matches found.'_

“A jail? A maze?” Ryuji threw out.

_‘No matches found.’_

Makoto frowned. “Isn’t a maze a little low scale? And honestly, we don’t know anything about him, how can we guess the distortion?”

Ann leaned against the table and sighed. “But it isn’t like he’s going to wake up and tell us. Leader, any ideas?”

Akira sat, thinking pose a ready. And after a moment, he opened his eyes. “A labyrinth.”

_‘Match found. Beginning navigation.’_


	2. Chapter 2

As the distortion faded around them, the thieves all looked around at what their latest destination was, Akira included. 

Joker shielded his eyes, the light here was far brighter than his attic ever got.

Beside him, Ryuji cheered. “Now we’re talking!!”

“Wha--”

Akira turned and blinked at the vista before them. As far as the eye could see was ocean and sky, except still. The water was a perfect reflection of the vast skies above it, without a single ripple to mar it.

“This is way more of a summer destination!” Ryuji bumped shoulders with him. “Right, leader?”

“I don’t know about that. I mean, I guess it looks a bit like a beach but…” Ann trailed off.

Joker followed her eye, and had to agree. The sand of the beach they were standing on looked like it had been dumped on top of a flat surface, none went below the water at all. In fact, as Akira kept looking, the whole Palace looked like it had been just dropped here.

Palm trees were slightly crooked, what looked like a dock was flat against the fake water, and well. The Palace itself was a grand stained glass structure someone dropped. The walls were made of some blue-black material and interlaid with all sorts of bright, colorful glass. 

However, the tops of all the walls were shattered apart, sharp and incomplete. Deeper in, Akira could see more shards and walls peeking over, which, he supposed, proved it really was a labyrinth. Tropical bushes surrounded the labyrinth as a whole.

Futaba gasped. “Oh wow! Now _that_ looks like a final dungeon from something!”

Yusuke gave a wistful sigh as he framed the Palace ruins with his hands. “How unfortunate. It looks as though it was a beautiful work of art before it was destroyed. Now it is merely appalling like the rest.”

Makoto looked herself over along with the rest of the thieves. “No thief clothing yet. I guess he doesn’t see us as an enemy?”

“ _Can_ he see us as an enemy? He’s asleep!” Ryuji waved his hand dismissively. 

Morgana laughed. “Well, don’t make the shadow angry, and we’ll see.”

“Hey!! I didn’t mean to!” Ryuji yelled.

“Anyways, this is way better than the last Palace. The temperature feels just right.” Ann stretched happily.

Akira sighed and nodded. The weather was warm with a breeze rather than frying-pan ready. He liked Futaba but. Never again. (If he had to go through that again, he’d try equipping a persona with fire null, burn null, and bufudyne. If they all ended up frozen, so be it.)

Makoto gasped. “Look! There’s someone on the smaller island!”

Everyone turned to look as one. Ryuji squinted at the figure. “I _guess_ there is? Hard to see past all the palm trees.” 

“Is it a shadow?” asked Ann.

“Well, I don’t think so.” When Akira turned to look at Futaba, she had a zoomed-in screen of the figure. Kurusu could now make out spiky blonde hair, and what he thought might be khakis? Most of the figure was still blocked by the trees. “The readings are kinda… muddy? But I think it's closer to a cognition.”

Ryuji scratched his head. “So, that’s not Sora’s shadow then?”

“Nope.”

“For now, then, let’s play it safe and ignore them. Let’s go in.” Makoto said.

Everyone nodded.

“Are we taking the main entrance?” Yusuke asked.

Ann made an ‘ehh’ noise. “We tried that with Oracle and well.”

Yusuke nodded even as Futaba looked between them curiously. “Well indeed.”

“Let’s just be safe and try and find a different infiltration route first.” said Makoto. “If we find there’s no danger maybe we can take the main entrance next time.”

Morgana nodded thoughtfully. “It just doesn’t feel right to go in the front door. We are phantom thieves after all!”

Ryuji kicked the dirt absently. “Is there another entrance though?”

Akira scanned around. As bad a shape this place was in there would likely be... _jackpot._

He waved everyone over to a bush, and pushed its branches out of the way. On the other side of the bush was a crevice in the glass and concrete walls of the Palace.

“Good job, Joker!” praised Morgana.

Akira gave a small smile and turned to the opening.

Joker crouched to shift through the crevice, and looked around. The labyrinth was cooler inside, almost like a cave. The stained glass still made up the walls, but Akira found that the corners were overgrown with vines. Glass shards littered the floor, only half visible through the overgrowth.

Behind him, Joker heard Morgana emerge from the passage. “Oh wow…”

“Oh! It’s really overgrown.” said Ann as she followed him. 

Morgana nodded. “It is. I wonder if it’s because Sora’s asleep?”

Joker put his hands in his pockets and watched the area thoughtfully. “Maybe.”

Yusuke pulled himself out, and gasped immediately. “Oh! So the stained glass is different on the inside. These are less damaged than the outside walls...hm.”

They were. These walls had smaller circular images on them of different landscapes. The one Fox was looking at was a stylized representation space… At least, Akira thought that might be it.

Skull stretched as he emerged. “Hate crawling like that.” Ryuji muttered as he looked around. “Huh.”

The last two came through without any fuss. Makoto gazed around sharply. “Are there any enemies?”

Morgana padded softly into the corridor, shaking his head. “I just took a quick look around, I haven’t seen any.”

Futaba nodded from beside Makoto. “Yeah. It’s really empty, I’m not sensing anything.”

“Maybe Sora not seeing us as a threat carries over to shadows?”

Ann hummed. “I mean, we didn’t see any in Oracle’s until _she_ saw us as one, so that checks out?”

“Then let’s just stay aware.” said Akira. Everyone nodded.

They kept walking from there, passing smaller windows along the way. There were pictures of some foliage and ice cream? Akira couldn’t quite name the flavor. Most of his focus was on getting the lay of the land anyways.

After a minute, Ryuji piped up. “Hey, why do we gotta follow the actual maze, can’t we go above? Are we phantom thieves or what?”

“Surprisingly insightful for you.” said Morgana.

Ryuji glared. “Like you're helping much, cat.” 

Morgana went quiet for a moment, and Akira looked at him in concern. A heartbeat later, Morgana coughed. “We should try getting on top somehow! We might be able to see more of the maze from up there!”

Akira looked around the empty passage. Even with Third Eye it was… very empty.

Right. Joker stepped forward. “Let’s pyramid.”

“P- Pyramid?!” Ann stuttered.

“Phantom thieves can make _their own_ handholds.” Akira replied grandly. He stepped forward and got into position.

“Oh!! Nice thinking Joker!” yelled Ryuji. Akira saw Ryuji take a place beside him, they nodded together.

“Oh my god.” muttered Queen.

“Then I will stand on top of you two, correct?” Yusuke began walking towards them.

Futaba coughed. When everyone was looking, she continued awkwardly. “Y- You guys do realize my persona flies, right?

…

“Right. I’m gonna just fly up there then.” Futaba summoned Necronomicon.

“Wait!” Morgana pulled a rope out of his pouch. “If we can get around up there, we can use this to get up there.”

One of Necronomicon’s tentacles _(Why.)_ grabbed it and took it into the cockpit. “Thanks!” She hovered up and paused. “Yeah, there’s no way we can do this.”

Akira called up after her. “Why?”

“There’s practically no flat surfaces up, just death spikes.” said Futaba.

“Can you see the center at least?” asked Ryuji.

“I mean, as a general concept yes? But if you're asking for a route, I think there’s some funky Palace distortion or whatever messing it up.” Futaba said and then landed.

Makoto sighed. “Then until we find a map, let's stick to following the right-hand of the passage.”

As the group set off again, Ann turned to Makoto. “Oh! I think I’ve heard of that!”

* * *

Joker yawned. It was starting to be a common feeling in the group. Somehow there was almost nothing in the labyrinth but pictures of different places. Compared to dodging patrols this was fairly boring. (He had a feeling that would probably change. His luck never held out.)

The entrance way ahead was brighter. Akira straightened up and sped up to see what was there.

The hall opened up into the first major room the thieves had found yet. Each of the walls was emblazoned with a display of a different time of a day, with the way they came dawn, and the exit night. And most importantly…

“A treasure chest! Joker, hurry and open it!” cheered Morgana.

“Wow,” Futaba gasped. “That… literally looks ripped from an RPG.” 

It did. Of all the chests Joker had seen so far, this one was the most cartoonish by far. Like everything in the Palace, it was made of an opaque glass. Instead of the artistic look of the rest, though, the chest looked like a cartoon.

“Really adding to my escaped Square Enix experiment theory…” muttered Futaba.

Ryuji scoffed. “There’s no way! I bet Sora just plays a lot of RPGs, he’s a fanboy!”

Ann ignored them. “Anyway, what’s in the chest?”

Akira pushed the lid up and grinned at the contents. “A map.”

Everyone crowded around to see, oohing and aahing. 

“Was starting to figure we wouldn’t get one this time!” Ryuji grinned.

Makoto sighed. “We may as well not have. Look how full of blank spots it is.”

Akira frowned, agreeing. Only about half the map seemed full, and most of what was there they had already gone through. Even after he gave it a good look, there was no sign of where the deeper areas might be.

“This is still better than no map. I prefer having some clue to where we are going.” Yusuke said.

Futaba shook off whatever theories she was brewing. “Well, I’ll keep scanning and see if I can find a way deeper in.” 

Akira nodded. “Thanks.”

“For now, let’s focus on filling the holes up then.” said Makoto.

Akira nodded and pointed to a nearby hole. “This one first?”

Makoto squinted at it and nodded firmly. “That looks like a good place for a Safe Room, that would be a good start.”

And onward they walked. It helped that they had a map now, their wandering felt less aimless now.

“Y’know,” Ann piped up, “don’t some of these windows look familiar?” She pointed to one they had just passed of a cheerful-looking white and blue castle. “That one kinda reminds me of Destinyland!”

Ryuji laughed. “That isn’t just because you want to go, right?”

“No!”

“Me and Panther… going to Destinyland…” Morgana trailed off quietly.

“No, I’ve noticed that too.” replied Makoto. “I saw one that looked like the Golden Gate Bridge a few hallways ago.”

Akira hummed. “Is there a theme?"

“Maybe they’re all places he’s been? Or wants to go?” tried Ann.

Footsteps rang out in the silence as everyone thought it over.

“Oh!” Yusuke jogged forward. “This stained glass is a particularly nice visualization of a town! The stained glass seems to add a glow to the lamplight the image projects!”

Akira tilted his head as he walked after Yusuke. _I guess?_

Makoto sighed. “Let’s keep moving.”

* * *

Ryuji kicked the wall. “ _Another_ dead end! Man, this sucks…”

Makoto sighed. “Well, it _is_ a labyrinth, what else can we expect--”

“Wait.” Everyone turned to look at Akira, who continued looking at the map. “We’ve filled out the map, it’s all dead ends.”

“What?!”

Futaba groaned. “Ugh, you’re right. There’s no more paths left now…”

“Perhaps there is a hidden path?” asked Yusuke.

“Well, Joker? Got any ideas?”

Akira thought back. Obviously there was a secret passage somewhere, that was general how Palaces worked in his experience. There hadn’t been any vents, or cracks to sneak through, but he supposed that wasn’t on theme for the Palace. Theme was important in these places, how the person thought about the location… location.

“It’s those large landscapes Fox commented on.” Akira finished out loud.

Everyone started talking at once, even as the group started toward the destination.

“Really? Nice job leader!” cheered Ryuji.

“Are we going into a painting again?” asked Ann.

“Again? I don’t remember hearing about--”

Yusuke interrupted Makoto. “It isn’t a painting, but a stained glass window. It’s a very different medium.”

Akira almost laughed. “You guys do realize we are in a Palace right now, right?”

The next turn was awkward. Akira sighed. 

Morgana patted his thigh.

At least it was a short walk to the landscapes. Once they were there, Akira experimentally tapped the glass. The image rippled as he did so.

“Ooh!!” cheered Ann.

“Nice! Are we headin’ in?” asked Ryuji.

If the Safe Room was closer, he’d suggest heading back for a quick break but… Akira nodded. “Let’s go.”

They jumped in as one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaaaaaaalright!! thats a done!
> 
> been trying to 100% royal at the same time as i write this which has made for an interesting time. between this, animal crossing, and a dozen hours of mementos grinding i have been....very busy


	3. Chapter 3

The place they emerged in was stained glass, like every place the thieves had been thus far. But this was no window; it was a whole town made into a glass diorama. 

The glass was all warm tones of brown and orange, and glowed with some inner light. The lampposts were crooked but filled with charm. The sky above was bright with stars.

Akira breathed out softly at the sight. The place was dusty, like no-one had been here in a while, but he could still tell how treasured this town was. It seemed like a childhood memory, made tangible.

As Joker looked closer he could see the distortions at the edges; it was too small, signs were unreadable, the dust everywhere...

Morgana stepped forward. “This is…”

As he did, a voice rung out from nowhere. "So as long as we stick together, it'll all work out okay. Ya just gotta believe in yourself, that's all."

Ann frowned at the sky. “Is it just me, or is all of this  _ way _ too positive?”

“I cannot help but feel this is leading to a sour ending.” said Yusuke.

“I’m wondering what this has to do with him being unconscious.” replied Makoto.

“And invisible.” Futaba added, like any of them had  _ forgotten _ somehow.

“D’we even know it has anything to do with?” said Ryuji. “Maybe he’s just distorted  _ and _ in a coma.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that this Palace  _ has _ been more positive than most.” Morgana countered. “It definitely is leading to something, the only question is what.”

“Well,” Makoto said. “Let’s go and find out.”

Akira nodded. As they were talking he’d looked around for anything out of place. There honestly was only one thing, a huge door behind their group. Akira waved them over as he walked to it.

It opened easily to a corridor of white. The thieves walked through it for a second before it faded back into glass.

There was a sharp inhale, Akira noted in a corner of his mind. It couldn’t be him though, as he had stopped breathing at what he saw. 

Graves.

It couldn’t be anything else. Thousands of glass weapons stuck into the dirty floor. In the distance (or what passed for such), Kurusu could see how the weapons were flattened and distorted. Some of the glass was shattered, the original shape lost.

While the last room had felt like childhood memory, this one felt more like a nightmare.

A different voice spoke this time, callous and cutting. "Thank you, Sora's heart, for pushing him right into our clutches. Aren't hearts great? Steer us wrong every time."

Everyone stood there in uncomfortable silence for a moment. 

Ryuji stomped his foot roughly. “What, what the eff does that mean!”

Akira let loose a breath. “I don’t know…”

Makoto gave the scenery a hollow look. “Whose graves are these supposed to be..?”

“Maybe they’re no-one’s? Maybe they just. Represent his uh, fear of death?” Ann rambled.

Yusuke sighed. “No. While no such location exists in our world, I suspect this is more than a simple distortion.”

Morgana gulped. 

“In our world…” Futuba muttered. “...Maybe he isn’t from our world?”

Ryuji forced a laugh. “What, so he’s an alien? Thought he was an illegal video game experiment.”

Futaba pouted. “Hey!! There’s definitely  _ something _ weird about him, you can’t deny that!”

Akira sighed. “Let’s keep moving.”

This time there wasn’t any obvious door, and Joker had to fall back on his Third Eye. Slowly walking around the edges of the graves, one of the swords (maybe?) was glowing. Blinking, the world returned to its normal shade.

The sword was more key-shaped, and less dusty than its neighbors. He could still see the gold and steel past the dirt.

Akira wrapped a hand around the hilt, and didn’t blink as the world faded to white.

Again, the room turned to crystal. Akira gave the room a more suspicious look this time, after what just happened. 

The third room was a vast entrance hall of some castle, gloomy and imposing. Plants and flowers grew in the corners.

No one spoke, waiting for what would play this time.

A younger boy’s voice spoke in that silence. "I don't need a weapon! My friends are my power!"

Morgana hummed in thought.

“I wonder if that’s Sora’s voice.” said Ann.

Ryuji ‘eeh’ed. “I dunno. That sounded kinda young doncha think?”

“That doesn’t rule out it being an older memory however.” said Yusuke.

Makoto bit her lip. “I’m starting to get a bad feeling about what the distortion is though.”

“Why does he need a weapon anyways? He sounds younger than me.” asked Futaba.

Morgana nodded. “Whatever the case, I hope we can help him.”

Ryuji elbowed Akira, making him look over. “Doesn’t this place kinda remind you of Kamoshida’s castle, Joker?”

“It's a bit more… gloomy.” replied Akira.

Ryuji snorted. “Less ugly too.”

“Well, one way forward.” Makoto nodded to the doorway at the top of the stairs.

Everyone nodded.

Through the doors, and another white hall. Akira was starting to wonder how many of these rooms they would have to trek through.

This time, the world showed itself as an alleyway. Dark skyscrapers hemmed in the area, and puddles of what Akira was half certain was oil covered the ground. It was dim enough Joker couldn’t tell what anything was made of. Above, the only thing in the sky was a heart-shaped moon.

The smug voice from two rooms ago spoke again. "You're strong because of the ties you have with other people. As if the Keyblade would choose a wimp like you."

Makoto frowned. “I thought so.”

“Thought what?” asked Ryuji.

“All of the quotes, they’re about how he’s relying on other people, and he’s weak.” said Queen. 

Ann shook her head. “But, its not  _ bad _ to rely on other people.”

“But it is to feel useless.” Morgana replied softly, and sighed.

Ryuji snorted. “You’d know, cat.”   


Morgana gave him a look and turned away from the group. “I guess I would.”

Akira stared at his back. “Mona…”

Futaba coughed. “Not to make light of this, but… what’s a Keyblade, anyways?”

Akira kept looking at Morgana for a moment, then turned away. Tonight, for sure. “The sword I touched two rooms ago was key shaped.”

“A key shaped sword…? That’s weird.” Ann’s voice was a little soft as she said that.

Makoto frowned. “Maybe its a cult?”

“I think considering that Sora is invisible, and we are in a physical representation of his mind, perhaps we shouldn’t dismiss anything out of hand.” replied Yusuke.

“...true.” said Makoto.

Futaba shook her head. “But that doesn’t answer what it _ is _ though. Why is it so important that its appeared twice so far?”

The thieves stood there in thought for a minute. Akira turned around. “Let’s keep going.”

Akira’s eyes quickly landed on the exit this time; a glowing orb in the corner of an alley. Joker closed his eyes as he placed his hand on it.

The fifth faded in as abruptly as the last, leaving a shattered glass town in its wake. His eyes widened as he traced the lines of the idyllic and destroyed houses. It looked like a port town from somewhere in Europe, maybe. Most of the glass making them up was broken, and in the crevices between was an oozing darkness.

High above, Akira could see a grand clock tower stretching out into a pitch black sky. Fragments of the tower had broken off, and floated in place. It was like a civilization paused right before destruction.

“Oh wow…” Ann muttered.

The latest voice spoke up, a boy their age now. “All my strength came from them. They gave me all of it. Alone, I'm worthless.” Despair seemed to drip off every word.

A low gasp of horror beside him was the only thing to echo in the wake of that sentence. Akira wondered if it was himself. To lose everyone you cared about… it was a terrible fate Akira had almost faced with himself. (If anything happened to his Confidants now…)

Ryuji scuffed at the shattered stone. “Did… all his friends die or…?”

“It's possible they just abandoned him.” Akira replied flatly. It happened, and it would hurt just like that.

Morgana gave him an assessing look but nodded. “We don’t have the context, anything is possible--”

“No!” yelled Ann. “I can’t believe that. Someone who’s heart is so warm… I might not know Sora personally, but I can tell; people don’t just choose to leave someone with a heart like this lightly.”

Ryuji crossed his arms and stepped forward. “I.. I can’t either. Even with all this this, I can tell he really cared about his friends.”

“We can’t know.” Makoto said. “Let’s leave it at that, alright?”   


Everyone nodded, slowly. Akira looked away, feeling emptied out. He had cared about his friends back home, and maybe they weren’t as important as those he had now but--. 

It didn’t matter. He had his Confidants. Joker could feel their bond in every Persona he summoned. He wasn’t alone now.

The group wandered along the broken seaside, silent. The road led very clearly to the doors of the broken tower, so up the hill they went.

Ryuji sidled up and gave Akira a brief pat and an understanding glance. Kurusu sighed. Yes, he had Ryuji and the others now.

At the top of the hill, Joker turned and gave the group a look. “Onward?”

The thieves nodded. With a firm stance, he turned and pushed the gates open.

When the light of the hall lifted, the group found themselves in a recreation of the island they had started the palace in. Instead of the larger island, Akira found the door had led to the smaller island. 

The thieves were now standing on the bridge, gazing at the setting sun. Just a sliver of the sun could be seen on the horizon. 

Looking behind him, the beach was pristine and untouched, in great contrast to the town they had just come from. A set of wooden toy swords lay abandoned by the tree, as if their owners had just walked away. A golden paradise of nostalgia.

One last time, a voice echoed out, high pitched this time. “You yourself... will vanish from this world.” 

Akira inhaled sharply, that meant--

“I don’t care.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so its been a month yall. its been a long one. at any rate, here's chapter 3, or the point where i finally start getting into some of the good stuff w this fic


	4. Chapter 4

_ “You yourself... will vanish from this world.” ... “I don’t care.” _

Ann swallowed. “Did he, did he  _ die _ ?”

Yusuke’s eyes are distant. “Perhaps he truly is a ghost. Or views himself as one at the very least.”

Makoto shook her head slowly. “How horrible.” 

One of Yusuke’s fellow artist committed suicide, didn’t they? And  _ Ann _ … Akira hoped they were doing alright. “Let’s keep moving. I want to find a break room.”

Ryuji nodded. “We have been going a while, huh... “

“I bet we  _ all _ need a break after all this....” Futaba muttered.

Akira scanned the landscape, and needed no superpowers to spot it this time. On the (falsely) idyllic beach was a bright white door beside a waterfall, clearly out of place. “Over here.”

Akira pushed the doors open, to a colorful hallway. Stained glass once more, but Joker ignored it for the safe room right beside.

Ryuji sighed. “Finally…”

Akira pushed the doors open, and before he had finished Ryuji had already thrown himself into his seat.

Close behind, Futaba sighed and collapsed onto the cushioned platform. “Ughhhh…”

Akira walked over to the table. “I’m not sure if everyone feels up to it but… how about some curry?”

Ryuji shook his fist weakly in the air. “Hell yeah dude.”

Ann sighed and laid her head on the table. “Sounds great. I could use a distraction.”

He nodded, and began pulling everything out of storage.

* * *

Akira eyed the hallway as the group walked back out of the safe room. Before, he couldn’t really spare any attention for the hall, too distressed. And the hall was...plain.

All of the glass was colorful, yes, but no scenes were pictured on any of them. They felt intentionally wiped of detail, personality. 

At the end was a white door, similar to the one the thieves had come though not long ago. On it was a thick padlock, with an image of a stylized keyhole on the front.

“Hey!” Ryuji marched up to it. “Wait, are we stuck?!”

Makoto frowned. “We haven’t encountered any keys…”

Joker shook his head. He would’ve seen one.   


“Or have we?” Oracle frowned. “What was it they mentioned, a keysword?”

“A Keyblade..!” said Morgana.

“That’s right!” replied Ann. “That did sound pretty suspicious!”

Ryugi tapped his foot. “Maybe we can take one of the ones from that last area?”

“I think those were fused to the ground, Skull.” Queen sighed.

“Besides,” Yusuke added, “it was a graveyard. Would it not be deeply disrespectful to take something from it?”

Skull groaned. “I didn’t think about that…”

Futaba sighed. “They did talk about it a lot, I dunno what _ else _ the answer is though…”

“It isn’t like we can do anything in the real world about it either huh…” Ann murmured. 

Akira blinked. They might not be able to talk to Sora but… “There is someone we can talk to though.”

“Eh?!”

Morgana turned. “You got an idea?”

Joker nodded and turned to where they came from. “Back at the start, on the islands, there was a person in the distance. We should try talking to them. They might only be a cognition, but they might know something.”

* * *

Now that they had gone deeper into the palace, Akira found the island even more lush in comparison. Here, everything was fuller, more real, not just stained glass sets. It still was… flexible in the way everything in the Metaverse was, but the island was a place pulled out of memory, not just a mirror of a mirror.

Behind him, Makoto pulled Ryuji up onto the bridge leading to the smaller island. 

Part of Joker wanted to fidget desperately, there was nowhere to hide up here. If they could see the cognition, they could probably see them. It  _ itched _ .

And Akira could see him now; the cognition was a boy around Sora’s age, blond with hair spikier than Ryuji’s but still more natural looking than Sora himself. His outfit too was similar in style to Sora’s, but monochrome beige and more normal looking.

“Damn, wish my hair could get like that.” Ryuji muttered.

Ann jabbed him in the side. “Want to use even more jel?”

“No--”

“Hey.”

Akira pivoted and met the boy’s eyes; bright blue, practically the inverse of a Shadow’s. The other teen frowned. “So you’re the weirdos who’ve been wandering around recently.”

“Who’re you callin’ weird!” Ryuji retorted.

The cognition huffed a laugh. “I guess you’re right, I have no room to talk.” Humor fled his voice. “Maybe I should call you thieves instead?”

Akira tensed.

“You shouldn’t be so shocked. You think no one would mind if someone started rifling through  _ your _ heart?” The teen sighed. “Not that this is mine either.”

“Then who are you?” Yusuke asked.

“I’m Roxas. I’ve been...keeping an eye on you, you could say.” Roxas responded vaguely.

“And?” asked Morgana.

“You guys have a lot of power, you know, being able to mess with people's hearts like this.” Roxas snorted. “I can think of a few people who say this kind of power shouldn’t be allowed to exist.”

Brows furrowed, Ryuji opened his mouth, but Makoto talked over him. “You don’t sound like you agree.”   


Roxas quirked a half smile. “If anyone knows that’s awful logic, it's me. So I watched you. You aren’t the smartest bunch, and can think of one or two who’s stronger…”

“Hey!”

“...but you guys cared about Sora. Even though you’ve never met him.” Roxas met Akira’s eyes. “You want to wake him up right? Here.”

Joker squinted through the bright light, and his eyes widened at what was left: a small black and white key, decorated with wings.

Even gone, Roxas’s voice continued to echo. “Key to his heart. Honestly, if  _ that guy _ was awake you wouldn’t even need this much. Sora was always too open to others.”

The key floated into Akira’s hands, as the voice got quieter. “I only helped because I want him awake too.” 

The last glimmers of light spiraled up, winking out one by one. “The others… won’t be as nice…”

Akira peered after where he disappeared. The palm-sized key pulsed gently, like a heartbeat. “Huh.”

Ann sighed. “What a weird cognition.”

Futaba crossed her arms nervously. “I’m more worried about the ‘others’ he mentioned…”

“We’ll have to figure it out as we go,” said Makoto.

Akira pocketed the key. “Let’s go.”

* * *

Despite the keyhole on the door looking almost painted on, the key Roxas had given them slid right in. As the lock clicked into place the key evaporated in Akira’s hands.

“Ugh,” Ryuji scratched his head. “I guess we can’t reuse these keys huh…”

“It’ll be fine!” Morgana puffed up proudly. “Even if we have to fight for the next key, I’m sure we can take down anything in our way! After all, aren’t we the great phantom thieves?”

Akira pushed open the door and chuckled. “Of course.”

“We have not fought once yet here. I fear that any battle would be more complicated than you think.” mused Yusuke.

Makoto nodded. “He’s right.”

Light filtered through the door, revealing the new area. It was darker here, noticeably so. Part of it was the walls; they towered over them now, sharp and jagged. Chains and ropes were strung across the gaps, cutting the sky into small fragments of dusk.

Akira eyed the corners. They were darker now, and much easier to hide in. It didn’t make him feel better about it.

“Huh,” Futaba peered at the projection. “There’s… there’s something big in here, definitely boss level.”

“Is it a Shadow?” asked Morgana.

“It’s. Weird.” Futaba typed something in and groaned. “I just checked its signal against that weird cognition and it didn’t work. Honestly, I’d say it's more like a person’s.”

Ryuji yelped. “The Black Mask?!”

“He doesn’t have a Persona, so no.” Futaba laughed nervously. “Anyway, it can’t be a person, no human would have a signal that fuzzy.” 

Ann shivered. “No offense, but that makes me feel worse...”

“We just have to avoid it. Let’s keep moving.” Makoto shut them down.

Akira glanced along the walls as they started walking, reassured. The walls here were decorated with portraits. Places, and now people?

Ryuji grinned as he started walking. “Maybe it's a ghoooost~.”

“N- no!!” Makoto stared off into the darkness. “There’s no way.”

Ryuji leaned forward. “I dunno--”

Ann sighed. “Just quit it, Skull.”

Glass shards and gravel crackled underfoot, audible in the silence.

Bigger cracks and fragments began to show on the walls here. Akira squinted past the light reflected off the sharp surface of the glass.

Few portraits were whole here, either hidden behind a broken chunk of wall or shattered. On one wall Joker recognized Roxas, and on another was the lower jaw of a smiling face framed with red hair.

Yusuke sighed. “After the last area, I was hoping for more works of art, but perhaps I was counting my eggs before they were paid for.”

Ryuji whispered, “What?”

”It is a lot more destroyed here…” Ann brushed a hand against one of the edges as she passed.

Akira nodded sadly. It didn’t bode well for the innermost areas of the palace.   


The seven continued walking, falling quiet.

The maze was more complex here, turn after turn revealing nothing. Akira wished the Palace would be kind enough to grant another map. Or that he brought in paper and pencil.

“Oh hey!” Futaba pointed energetically at one of the portraits. Like many it didn’t show the face, only a bushel of short white hair. “Look how spiky that hair is!! It’s somehow sillier than Sora’s, hah.”

Yusuke peered at it. “Hm, it does seem to have an interesting purple tint to it. Mixing that color would be a test of my abilities. Too much purple and it would lose the lightness of the white, yet too little and it would look dull. Ah but...” Yusuke framed it absently, as he tried to… decipher the paint color?

Makoto peered around the next corner and came walking back through. “Come on Fox, it's another dead end.”

“Of course.” Yusuke turned to give the portrait several more glances until it was out of sight. 

Akira suspected he’d be seeing that hair in a future piece.

“Ohh!” Morgana bounced ahead and stared up at... a lion portrait? “Another stunning feline like myself!”

“I thought you weren’t a cat, Mona?” Ryuji commented.   
  
Morgana harumphed. “I might be human, but lions are kings! How can I  _ not _ like them?!”

“Isn’t the bigger question why a lion gets to have a portrait?” Makoto brought her hand to her chin. “I doubt there’s another like Mona out there.”

“I  _ am _ unequaled.” Mona said proudly. 

Several more corridors came and went. One wall had several anthropomorphic birds, and another had only a single yellow eye remaining.

Ann groaned as they hit a dead end yet again. “This Palace is awful!”

Futaba nodded sadly. “Moooona can we ride the bus…”

“No!!”

...

Eventually, a sparkle high above caught Akira’s eye. Squinting up, he grinned. A bit of the wall was lower than the rest, and several chains overhanging it formed a great grapple spot. “Guys.”

Ann sighed with relief as Ryuji cheered.

Even Makoto cracked a relieved smile. “I was starting to wonder if we would ever hit another landmark.”

Akira grinned and shot up to take a look. The upper area was a small path that went over the top of several passages in the labyrinth, and in the distance he could see a more open area.

One by one they follow Akira up there and slowly walked back to the room at the end. It felt like a trap, but it was the best clue they had found in the area so far.

The room was round, and a glass pattern on the floor was buried in dust and rubble. No matter how Akira peered at it, even with Third Eye, nothing more could be seen. Above the sky was hitting sunset, gold and orange light gleamed on the wall shards. 

And there, sitting on a pile of rubble, was a black-haired girl in an equally black dress. Her blue eyes looked almost identical to Roxas's. "You’re here.”

Ann stepped forward. “Who are you?” 

“I’m Xion.” The girl got and gave them all an appraising look. “Messing with someone’s heart like this… it's a messy thing. I don’t like it, but…”

Akira’s eyes widened as she summoned a gold and silver key, and jumped back. 

He whipped out his blade, everyone else following.

“I want Sora back. Prove to me you should do it." Xion pointed her blade (a Keyblade?) at them. "Show me your strength of heart!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we've finally getting into more of the kh characters...... and also battles. all of the kh news the last few weeks has been pretty inspiring! im really looking forward to khmom, since i love rhythm games


	5. Chapter 5

Everyone sprung into action. Futaba threw herself into Necronomicon’s cockpit, and began prepping scans.

Below her, Yusuke and Mona fell back, maybe to protect her? But probably just to be an emergency backline. (It was nice to think that they were protecting her though, not that she needed it.)

The first scans came in and she clicked her tongue. “Be careful guys! She’s really tough!!”

Even as she called out, below Xion charged right in with a wild freaking combo at Akira. He angled away but the crack of the blows echoed loudly.

Futaba bit her lip, and typed faster. (If only she could help  _ more _ .)

Mid-chain, Akira glowed with Rakukaja’s light. “Panther! Little help?” Makoto called.

Ann nodded. “Diarama!”

“Hey!!” Ryuji raised his arms, Captain Kidd rising behind him. “Eat some lightning!”

Xion cried out in pain and pointed her Keyblade at Skull. The tip glowed blue for a moment and then ice blasting forth. 

“Augh!!”

Before Xion lowered her blade, Akira rushed into her space. “Giant Slice!”

“Electricity and normal attacks work!!” Futaba called out.

“We need to narrow things out.” Makoto responded shortly. “Freila!”

The nuclear attack clearly worked according to Necronomicon, but Futaba couldn’t tell. Despite it all, Xion quickly shrugged the chain of attacks off and slammed Akira back. At the same time she darted even further away, now almost 15 feet away from any member of the party.

Akira didn’t waste time, and Andras rose up as he charged up. Going for the kill, smart.

In sync, Ann followed him up with another heal. 

Futaba wrinkled her brow, something seemed off _—_

“Hey!!!”

When she wasn’t looking, Skull had darted after Xion, and something was  _ wrong. _

Futaba’s heart rose in her throat and she opened her mouth and. 

Xion leaped high into the air, Keyblade glowing, and  _ slammed  _ into the earth. Rubble and beams of light alike filled the air.

Everyone cried out in pain and Akira, he  _ groaned _ .

“Joker!” Futaba yelled.  _ Oh no, Andras is weak to light…!  _

Below, Mona yelped. “Leader!!”

Xion turned toward Akira, blade rising again, and before she could, Ryuji threw himself into an Assault Dive.

This at least seemed to have thrown her off. Xion coughed and pointed her Keyblade into the air. “Cura!”

Ryuji swore even as cartoon flowers (what??) floated around their enemy. “That’s no fair!”

Makoto knelt beside Akira and healed him up. “You alright?”

Half collapsed, Akira did a little hand wobble thing, and grimace-smiled.

“Right,” she said, getting an arm under him. “Let’s get you up.”

Meanwhile, Ann was healing Ryugi which was probably a good idea. He’s never gonna stop charging in, obviously.

Which he proved seconds later, as he tried a Headbutt on her. 

On one hand it looked hilarious the way the ship kinda crashed into her but on the other…. “Uh, she’s immune to forget so you might wanna forget about that attack.”

Maybe she noticed Ryugi kept getting healed, but Xion turned on a dime and did a chain attack on Ann instead.

Ann yelped, catching the blows on her shoulders.

The Keyblade then straightened out as Xion backed off and fired a lightning bolt at her.

“Ann!!” Makoto let go of Akira who is mostly recovered by now anyway. “Diarama!”

Ann grinned shakily, and healed Makoto in return.

Akira, ready to rumble, finally switched back to Principality. Running forward, he fired off a charged Giant Slice.

Xion cried out and fell to her knees.

Futaba cheered. “A crit!!”

With Xion still quiet, Akira waved a hand as they all fell in for a total beatdown!! (Futaba almost felt jealous watching the carnage but also felt like it was a lot of exercise.  _ I mean, look at Akira go with those front flips! Damn,  _ she thought quietly.)

As everyone fell back into their usual half circle, Xion got up slowly. With a pulse, she cast  _ something  _ through her blade.

Quickly, Futaba realized what it was. “Forget?! Talk about irony.”

Practically everyone had been hit, with only Ann scott-free.

Makoto reached into her pocket and stuffed a relax capsule in her mouth, Akira right behind her.

Ryuji patted through his pockets rapidly. “Wait, wait, wh _—_ ”

“Hey!” Ann tossed a capsule to Ryuji who proceeded to catch it in his mouth, nice.

Cross arena, Xion also tossed Ryuji something: her Keyblade. It knocked him right off his feet and her weapon warped back into her hands.

Without a pause, Makoto unloaded her gun on Xion, who did attempt to block but a couple hit along her sides.

Xion sprung forward toward her, but

Stopped, with the tip inches from Makoto’s face. “That was enough.” She nodded to herself, and unsummoned her blade. 

Ryuji sat up. “What?!”

One by one, Xion looked each of them in the eye, and asked them one thing. “Promise me. Promise me you’ll fix this. “

“Fix what?” asked Futaba.

Akira nodded. “We will.”

Light glimmered along her sides and consumed her, leaving only a black angular key. “Be careful... What’s ahead is…” Her voice faded away, and the key landed in Akira’s hand.

Futaba got out of Necronomicon and sighed.

Makoto bit her lip. “Just what exactly is ahead?”

Above, only a few streaks of orange remained.

* * *

Ryuji groaned. “I still feel sore from that fight…Why did she go so hard on us for a test?!”

Akira sidled up, a little grin growing. “Wanna drink some of my practice coffee?”

Ryuji reared back slightly. “No?”

Futaba hid a snort. She had seen (spied on) one of his practice sessions, and uh, she was sure Akira would get better soon. Probably.

Kurusu’s face scrunched up slightly, then went blank again. “Then suffer.”

Ryuji drooped. “Hey!”

Futaba couldn’t help it anymore; she cackled.

Morgana nodded semi-solemnly. “It was very generous of Joker to offer after all. If he decided against helping you out _—_ ”

“Mona!! You  _ remember _ last time he brought his ‘samples’ too!” Ryuji complained.

Morgana didn’t meet his eyes. “He’s gotten better.”

Ryuji scoffed. “And I bet he’s still holding onto the failures.”

“Better to be prepared?” 

“For what? Caffeine overdose?!”

Ann sighed. “Skull, we get it, you hate coffee.”

“Yeah! I do!! And even I know last time was bad!” Ryuji responded, “So why did  _ wise leader _ try and give me some?”

Akira sighed. “We really do need to finish off this batch though.” He pulled a bottle out. It looked a little too thick to Futaba’s trained eyes. “Anyone?”

Yusuke raised a hand. “I’ll take it all. I’d like to try coffee dyeing something.”

Akira nodded. “When we get out then.”

Makoto sighed. “I wonder when that will be…”

“Yeah…” Ann stretched. “It feels like we’ve been wandering this place for ages.”

Futaba idly scrolled around the map readings. “I think there’s a safe room or something nearby-ish so we’re gaining on something at least..?”

“Finally!!”

“It might not be a tunnel connected to our path however…” Yusuke added.

“Can you tell how far away it is? Or what direction we should go?” asked Makoto as they approached the next corner.

“I dunno…” While Necronomicon did auto-map, it didn’t do anything as helpful as that. Zooming out, Futaba supposed she could... guess based on how much room was between hallways? But... 

Something caught her eye. North by north east, coming closer was another signal. Strong, stronger than Xion had been by far. A pit dragged down her stomach even as Futaba shot straight up. “Everyone! Watch out _—_!!

Her words froze in her mouth.

To their right, they saw him: Yozora Verum Rex.

“ _ Yozora _ ?!” Futaba screeched.

(Everyone fought the urge to whip their heads back around to her.)

It was him. Edgy black clothes, weapon and all. If Sora felt like an expy or someone’s self insert OC of Yozora, this was the 3D model superimposed on reality.

Superimposed seemed a little too accurate actually. Sora had seemed…  _ off _ in a way she couldn’t quite grasp, but Yozora was jarringly out of place. Even the Palace seemed to part around him, red pixels cleaving away to Shibuya rooftops (...what?). A trail of blood-red pixels slowly faded behind him, like he was tracking in blood.

The (definitely not Yozora) entity’s head jerked to her. “You know my name?”

Futaba stepped behind Joker. “Yes? You’re, uh, kinda famous.”

His eyebrows furrowed. “Then… do you know what happened to this place?”

“You mean the Palace?” Ryuji commented. Ann elbowed him.

Not-Yozora’s face hardened. “So you do.” He quickly whipped out his crossbow-gun and Futaba’s heart leapt both with excitement and adrenaline. That was so cool!!

Her gasp broke off into coughs, dust and smoke filling the air. 

“Run!” called Joker.

They run, dust and adrenaline blurring bright glass and deep shadows until it all blends together. It blends into a colorful darkness she’s never seen in her life, even in Mementos; it looks like the surface of tar, pitch black yet gleaming with all the colors it imprisoned still within it. A different darkness, not of the mind but of something else.

One thought remained in Futaba's brain even as her heart beat frantically in her ears: she  _ had _ to hack Square Enix.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey remember when i put verum rex as a tag? there was a reason :)
> 
> anyway, fight scenes are hard but i have conquered, and the chapter is out before melody of memory!!!


	6. Chapter 6

Akira panted from his seat on the floor, having collapsed as soon as he reached safety. Off-handedly, he felt grateful that the floor was a bit cleaner than usual in this Palace’s safe rooms. Just dust, rather than worse.

To the side, Futaba was planted face first into the sofa bed thing to the side. As stiff as she was, Akira’d almost wonder if she was alive if it weren't for her wheezing. She flopped onto her side, screens flickering in and out around her. “Signal… signals gone, guys.”

Ryuji groaned.

“That’s, Yusuke trailed off. “...good.”

“I am,” Futaba started slowly, “going to hack Square. I am going to hack many, many things. ...As soon as I can move.”

“Yeah, we get that you’re gonna hack Square or whatever…” Ryuji muttered into the table.

Makoto shot up from her slouch. “No. I’m not going to drop this with just that. What _was_ that? Why was he, was he _eating away_ at the Palace?!”

Ann nodded. “That was really weird. It looked… kinda like a TV breaking up? But very… red.”

Akira stood up, and surreptitiously brushed off some dust. “Did you get any readings before we ran?”

Futaba was broken out of her fervor, and bit her lip. “I… I only got a glimpse of the reading before we ran. I was a...little distracted. And uh, I think the cognition of this place was affecting him but--”

She looked up into his eyes. “That was definitely a person.”

Ryuji half stood and then flopped in his seat. “Then, what the eff?”

“Is he the black mask?” asked Makoto.

Morgana shook his head. “He wasn’t wearing a mask. I’m pretty sure his cognition _was_ fighting the Palace somehow, but it wasn’t a spirit of rebellion. More like...a memory.”

“Or a Palace, correct?” Yusuke finished.

Everyone blinked.

“A… Palace? Mona, is that even possible?” Makoto asked.

“I…” Morgana trailed off and then visibly pulled himself together. “Even if it were, I don’t think that’s quite what's happening. There was something artificial about what he was doing, it didn’t look like a real distortion if that makes sense. It looked… more like when Oracle hacks the Palace but...bigger.”

Makoto’s brows furrowed deeper. “An artificial Palace or Persona then? Or some new way to literally hack thoughts?”

Akira shook his head. “We don’t have enough information.”

Futaba nodded. “If we encounter him again,” 

(“Ugh, I hope not.” someone muttered.)

Futaba raised her voice. “ _If we do_ , I’ll try checking out the area around him.”

“Sounds like a plan.” said Akira.

* * *

Things go smoother from there. In a way, it made Joker far more tense. 

They only walk for a couple minutes before they hit another locked set of doors. This pair of doors was light gold and practically plain despite it. Xion’s key fit perfectly, not that Akira expected any different.

The next room was white. A pure, blinding white that burned in its impartiality. There were no other doors, no exit, just white throne towering in the center. On it was a boy, blond spikes visible on the stark background even from here. Roxas again?

Drawing closer, Akira changed his mind. He was similar, but the outfit was different and there was a sense of timelessness in the eyes he would’ve remembered. This was someone else.

Yusuke stepped forward. “Who are you? You aren’t either of the cognitions we have met so far.”

“D’you have another key?” Ryuji interjected.

The boy slowly blinked his eyes open. “Oh. You’re…” He sat up very slightly. “I’m Ventus, the third key.” He started to glimmer, as if already fading away.

“Wait!” Ann called. “Aren’t you-- aren’t you going to test us or say anything?”

Ventus smiled sadly. “The other two are much better judges of character than me. If you got this far, then you need to keep going.”

Something about that seemed… “Any tips for the road?” Joker asked casually.

“Just, hurry. And be careful.” His body had already almost faded, key glimmering in his chest. “I hope we can meet someday, on the other side.” 

And he was gone. The key was mostly earthy tones inlaid with streaks of neon green, a creamy wing forming the bit on the end. 

Makoto peered at the key in his hand. “That was easy.”

“A little too easy.” Morgana added.

Above, the light has faded just a bit more, golden rays glinting off glass. But the golden hour lasts only so long.

* * *

The door in the back of the throne led to a darker area, more underground than any of the previous corridors.

Just like before, the tunnels are darker yet more straightforward, and its only what feels like fifteen minutes before they hit another landmark. 

A wide circular room stretches out around them, stained glass illustration buried under dark stains. While he can’t see anything past the edges of the glass, the air crackles with distortion. They’re closer than ever.

It's only cemented by who stands before them.

In front of them was what must be Sora’s shadow. He wore a strange black and bodysuit, and had black hair to go with it, but the yellow eyes said it all. _Shadow_.

Even now, his shadow didn’t make any moves, and slouched, clearly not caring about them.

Everyone tensed, ready for anything. Joker took a single step forward. “Sora.”

He scoffed loudly, looking down on them.

Makoto frowned. “Aren’t you though?”

“You look just like him, who else could you be?” Futaba added.

The shadow hacked out a laugh. “Who’d want to be _that_ loser?” His voice was rougher, like he hadn’t talked to anyone in years.

“So Sora hates himself this much,” Ann whispered.

His yellow eyes gleamed with some dark emotion. “I keep telling you--”

Joker grabbed his knife, as darkness started roiling. 

Futaba flicked through screens, panic rising. “Everyone watch out!! These readings aren’t good!”

“My name,” shadows pooled in his grasp, forming into a weapon made of gears and chains. A Keyblade. “is _Vanitas_!” 

Akira drew himself low, grip tight on his blade.

Across from them, yellow eyes leaked hate. “Ventus, Sora… If you idiots can’t keep people’s names straight, then maybe I oughta carve mine into you!”

Akira stood on guard, eyes focused on the other. The (shadow?) cognition’s stance was odd, high, too still--

Too late, he heard Ann cry out behind and the silhouette in front of him disappeared. _Teleporter._

Reflexively, Joker spun on his heel, lunging at Vanitas striking air.

“Too slow!” Vanitas called, voicing ringing in the back of his ear. The gears on his blade drove deep into Akira’s shoulder, slamming him to the floor. 

Akira flipped and swiped his other elbow up, but hit nothing. Already gone.

“Joker!” Morgana ran over, Diarama already working through Akira. “You okay?”

Joker barely nodded, scanning around for where Vanitas had gone. There, to the right.

Akira launched himself off the ground and into a Giant Slice right away, hitting true this time.

Vanitas bit back a pained noise, and then jumped up and away from Yusuke’s own attack.

As he landed, he shot them all a glare. “Annoying.” In an instant, he disappeared into the ground, shadows deepening.

Joker nearly casted his eyes about. The area is so dark you can’t see anyway.

Joker nearly casted his eyes about. The area is so dark you can’t see anyway. On instinct, Akira pivoted 360°, arms up in a block.

He was just in time as Vanitas erupted from the ground in a volcano of fire and smoke, and right in the middle of their formation.

Yusuke collapsed, soundlessly.

“Fox!” Ann ran over and Akira focused back on the fight. She had him.

Mona jumped back a bit, trying to get some distance. “Garula!”

Vanitas weathered the blow silently, only stumbling slightly as he slowly walked forward.

Akira knew that look in his eyes. Not again. “Kougaon!”

The cognition scoffed as the rays of light glanced over him. “I’m not some common Heartless, you know.”

Vanitas' figure froze in place, and Akira scanned around quickly, knowing that tell by now.

Another figure, twenty feet back-- who wasn’t moving either. 

Or, Akira’s eyes narrowing, both were moving. Both figures were flickering rapidly, and Akira had to admit, this did make it very hard to guess where Vanitas was coming from.

Both raised their blades, and the one in front fired a very slow fireball in Yusuke’s direction.

With ease, Akira stepped in front, blade braced--

Dark flames sank into his side. 

Akira’s knees turned to jelly, world blurring.

Even as he hit the ground, Yusuke leapt forward and his blade pierced Vanitas’ opening. 

Vanitas sailed away, flying away like he weighs nothing at all. (Like he is nothing.)

He half collapsed on the ground, panting, even as Akira healed himself. Joker could barely hear him from here. “No… not again.”

Ryuji cheered. “You got em!”

A mist of shadows rose slowly around the other’s form. His voice, even if it's louder, sounds raspy now. “But I…”

Panther stepped forward. “So who are you anyway? Why do you look like Sora if you're someone else?”

“I…” The shadows thicken greatly at this, and Joker can barely see his eyes flash up at them, narrowing. There's a reverb to his voice now, like something else was there. “...am _darkness._ ”

The darkness burst outward at this, and Akira shields his face from the blast of wind it carried. Once the wind was gone, Vanitas was changed into something else, half Shadow. Dark purple fur covered his arms, and a fur cloak was layered over his bodysuit, ceramic ears poking out the top. Bony wings stretched out uselessly into the air, and his new claws scratched at the glass beneath him. 

While all of that was at least a little unusual, what Akira couldn’t look away from was his face. 

While most of his outfit was beastial now, there was something about the purple cat mask he now wore that seemed like something different. It felt like an echo of something else, something powerful. He would guess it was a persona’s mask, but there was a different feeling to this power.

It set his nerves to full alert.

The monster charged.

He was slower now, Akira thought, as he rolled out of the way of the claws. But that's easy when you compare it to teleporting. 

Beside him, Morgana got off less lucky, having crashed into claws practically as big as he was. “I’m ok!”

“You sure?” Ann asked, snapping off a quick, “Agilao!”

“Stay focused!” Makoto called from the back lines. Akira kept his eyes ahead, but he could hear tension. “Something seems off.”

Something did. He couldn’t help but mull it over as he went in for a blow. Before it was careful tactics, and trickery. But now it was...simple, if dangerous still.

The sharp wings spread wide and Akira ducked as Vanitas spun them like saw blades. 

Nearby, Yusuke bit off a cry as they impacted.

It wasn’t the simplicity that was odd though, was it.

It was…

The shadows deepened, forming small pools of darkness underfoot. As Joker backflipped away, thorny vines shot up out of them and bound Morgana and Yusuke.

Akira shot a look at Vanitas. The shadows were darker there, like the pools were coming from him.

In fact, the shadows were. “Oracle?” he asked. “What’s that fog surrounding him?

“Fog? Gimme a sec.” Futaba said.

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Vanitas threw himself spinning forward. Every spike on his body whirled at Yusuke, and Fox cried out in pain.

“Try light magic!” Oracle called. “The fog blocks the light!!”

“Got it!” Ann leapt up at that and pulled something from behind her; a happy bomb. She threw it, hard. 

The explosion of light ate away the fog near instantly.

Joker fell upon him. “Kougaon!!”

Vanitas collapsed in a wreck of limbs.

Akira didn’t bother turning. “Everyone!”

“Yeah!!”

The world blurred around them, physics falling silent as they finished him off.

With one last attack, the darkness that had cloaked Vanitas _burst_ out, flooding away. “No...!”

But when Akira could see again, he was gone.

On the ground, right beneigh his knife was a small black skeleton key.

Ever so softly, Akira heard a scoff. Or maybe a sigh. “I… my path is…”

Akira sighed and picked the key up.

Ann peered at it. “So, in the end, do we even know who that guy was?”

Yusuke shook his head. “Not a single clue, aside from his name.”

Akira gazed at the key. “Vanitas…”

“I have a bad feeling we’re missing something big.” Makoto murmured.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whos ready for khmom yall!!! i had to get this chapter out before then, that way less of this will get de-canonized. and ive been Looking Forward to this chapter
> 
> as for the yozora stuff, keep in mind that a) the thieves know nothing of heart physics or metaphysics, they are so out of their depth w kh getting in here b) even i dont know what yozoras deal is. you think they can figure it out???
> 
> finally, the art in this chapter is by [me](https://roxasthatisastick.tumblr.com/post/632257348435607552/memories-lost-in-dreams-nightmares)!

**Author's Note:**

> and there!! this is a rewrite of my previous version of this fic! after re:mind and p5r i ended up getting inspired for this again!!
> 
> unlike last time, the whole story has been outlined so i actually know where everything is going
> 
> theres a few AU elements in here to allow the timeline to make sense. futaba woke up about a week sooner this time so the schedule moved up on all of that. theres also a few other AU elements...but i'll leave those to adressed in the fic itself


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